


Desperate Measures

by telethiastar



Series: I'll Walk With You [5]
Category: Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Video Game)
Genre: :'), Cauterization, Don't @ Me, Established Relationship, F/M, Graphic Description, Serious Injuries, Whump, compared to my other stuff anyway, sometimes you just gotta write some good ol' whump, stab wounds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-03
Updated: 2019-03-03
Packaged: 2019-11-08 19:55:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17987585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/telethiastar/pseuds/telethiastar
Summary: Rex groans in pain, his breathing becoming more ragged. “Are you sure this is...going to work? What if it’s...not enough?”“Do you trust me, Rex?”The brunette nods. “Of...course I do. What sort of...question is that?”The Blade gently courses her fingers through Rex’s hair. “Then trust me now. I promise, everything is going to be okay.”





	Desperate Measures

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tbat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tbat/gifts).



> I never thought I'd write more Pyrex, but...well, here we are. Enjoy this whump that I whipped up in a couple hours :V
> 
> OH WAIT ONE THING BEFORE I START THIS IS DEDICATED TO TRAGICALLYBADATTHIS FOR HAVING A XENOBLADE FANFIC ANNIVERSARY
> 
> I LOVE YOU BRO

His brain doesn’t register that he was sent flying until his back collides with the tree. His body hits the ground with a loud thump, and Rex is starting to regret not bringing any backup. The heavy rainfall roars in his ears, and for a moment, everything goes numb before the pain kicks in. With blurred vision, he looks down to see a gruesome gash across his stomach where the Sauros had stabbed him before knocking him back with its tail. His eyes are already filled with tears from the pain, and it takes every ounce of his will not to scream when he forces himself to sit up properly.

 _“Rex!”_ Pyra shouts desperately, but the call of his name is replaced with a cry of agony when an identical stab wound opens up in her abdomen, and she doubles over.

The salvager doesn’t have the energy to call out to her. He’s losing blood fast, and it feels like his spine is cracked from where he hit the tree. He hisses and presses a hand against his pierced flesh in an attempt to stem the bleeding, but it’s not long before his gloves are stained red.

Their sword is just a little ways from Pyra. If she can reach it, she might be able to hold off the monster long enough for them to escape. In the shape they’re in, though, chances of survival are pretty low.

The Blade staggers toward the weapon, but she doesn’t pick it up. Instead, she switches to Mythra, raising her arm as she does so. A brilliant beam of light slices through the black clouds above, and Rex suddenly realizes that she’s using Siren to defeat the monster. He closes his eyes.

The Sauros falls with a deafening roar, and Mythra almost collapses from all the strength sapped out of her with that one attack. She falls to her knees before switching back to Pyra, who weakly drags their sword behind her as she rushes to his side.

“Rex!” the redhead cries, tears already falling down her face. “Rex, can you hear me?!”

The brunet forces his eyes open. He makes an attempt to speak, but is stopped when blood forces its way past his lips.

“Shh, don’t say anything,” Pyra whispers. “I’m going to take a look at your wound, alright? Just focus on saving your energy.”

“P… Pyra,” Rex finally manages to choke out. “Are you...okay?”

The Aegis stops, her face suddenly twisting with disbelief.

“Am I okay?! You just got stabbed and you want to know if _I’m_ okay?!”

“Your safety is...more important,” her Driver grunts. “Don’t...worry about me. I’ll be fine.”

“Are you kidding me?! We’re not fine!”

At this, Rex’s eyelids fall shut for a moment. He’s not sure how much longer he can stay awake.

“No, stay with me!” his lover pleads, cupping his face with one hand. “Please, I need you to stay awake! Don’t you dare die on me, Rex!”

Rex opens his eyes, but only slightly. “What are we…?”

“I have an idea,” Pyra answers. “Just don’t say anything more.”

With that said, she grimaces—either at his pain or her own, he isn’t sure—before gently prying his hand from the gaping hole in his stomach.

To say it’s deep is an understatement. By now the blood has stained most of the front of Rex’s salvaging suit a dark crimson, and the flesh around the wound is contorted and marred beyond what first aid can repair. Pyra remembers how it felt like the Sauros twisted its claw after plunging it through her abdomen, before her innards had been violently evulsed from her body.

She turns away for a moment, putting Rex’s hand back on the wound and pressing down slightly. This is starting to make her sick. She cringes in agony, gritting her teeth as she hugs herself. _Architect, this hurts like hell_. She’s never felt anything more painful than this.

“How...bad is it?” Rex wheezes, coughing up more blood.

The Aegis turns back to face her partner.

“What? N-no, it’s fine, you’re fine, it’s gonna be okay. Just… Just breathe, okay, Rex? I’ve got you.”

Pyra sucks in a breath and tucks a piece of hair behind her ear anxiously. She needs to act quickly before Rex passes out, or worse. The fact that they’re in the pouring rain is going to make things much harder, but at the very least it can help wash away the blood.

The redhead reaches over her Driver to tear the grappling hook from his arm. It’s not the most ideal tool, but it’s the best thing they have.

“Okay, Rex,” she starts, conjuring a flame with one hand. “We’re going to need to cauterize the wound in order to seal it. It’s the only way to stop the bleeding.”

“What?” the salvager whimpers, his eyebrows knitting in sudden fear. “N-no, I can’t.”

“It’s the only way, Rex. We’ll die if I don’t do this now.”

Pyra increases the intensity of the flame before beginning to heat up the hook. They’re running out of time.

Rex groans in pain, his breathing becoming more ragged. “Are you sure this is...going to work? What if it’s...not enough?”

“Do you trust me, Rex?”

The brunet nods. “Of...course I do. What sort of...question is that?”

The Blade gently courses her fingers through Rex’s hair. “Then trust me now. I promise, everything is going to be okay.”

She turns back to the hook, which is now a bright orange thanks to the fire. It’s ready.

“This is going to hurt a lot,” she warns, hovering one hand over Rex’s. “Are you ready?”

Her Driver doesn’t respond at first, his eyes squeezed shut and his breathing labored.

“Rex,” she calls. “Are you ready?”

He cracks an eye open, one after the other. After seeing the glowing orange hook, he shuts them again.

“I know,” Pyra says, her voice no more than a comforting whisper. “I don’t want to do this, either. But we have to if we want to get out of this alive, okay?”

Rex hesitates. He shakes his head.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” he whines.

“Don’t worry about me, Rex. I’m a fire Blade; I’ll be okay.”

At this, he looks back at the hot metal tool in Pyra’s hand, still reluctant. After a moment, he swallows.

“Alright,” he complies. “Let’s do it.”

With that, the redhead carefully moves her lover’s hand. The rain has helped wash away some of the blood, but the wound is still bleeding faster than the water tower in Torigoth after they destroyed it. The faster they get this over with, the better.

“On three,” she cautions, and Rex nods. “One, two…”

Pyra gingerly presses the glowing hook to Rex’s side, both of them immediately crying out in severe pain. Any tears that were building up in Rex’s eyes are falling from his face full force, with his Blade suffering just as much. In actuality, the hook only touches Rex’s skin for a couple of seconds, but those are the longest few seconds of their lives.

The Aegis pulls back to inspect the bleeding. It’s not as bad as it was, but there’s still blood trailing from where the skin was punctured. She grits her teeth and brings the hook back to Rex’s side.

The sound of his screams is something Pyra wishes she didn’t have to hear. She knew it would hurt, but not like _this_. It’s like having her eardrums trampled on by a large Ponio. She can’t bear to see her Driver like this, and this is nothing short of torture for the both of them.

She pulls away again, and Rex looks like he’s on the verge of passing out from the pain. He’s drenched in sweat and can barely keep his eyes open, his eyelids fluttering shut every few seconds.

“Stay with me, Rex,” Pyra whispers, brushing the tears from his eyes. “We’re almost there. Just a little bit more and then we can relax.”

The brunet nods in acknowledgement, no longer possessing the energy to speak. Pyra takes his hand wordlessly before pressing the hot hook to his wound one final time. His cries are painful as always, but there’s less strength behind them, almost as if he’s too exhausted to react anymore.

When the wound is finally completely sealed up, the Blade sets the now slightly glowing grappling hook aside and combs her fingers through her Driver’s hair.

“We did it, Rex,” she beams. “We’re gonna be okay.”

With some effort, Rex manages to open his eyes and look at his partner. His gaze travels down to her stomach.

“You’re...okay?” he mumbles. Of _course_ he would be worried about her despite his own injuries.

Pyra doesn’t even inspect her own sealed wound. She knows what it looks like.

“Yeah,” she confirms. “I’m okay.”

“Thank the Architect,” Rex sighs. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”

The Aegis smiles and kisses him lovingly. “You and me both. Better not find out.”

He returns the kiss, and the two of them are content to celebrate their victory until they have the energy to return to town. Needless to say, they’d been through a lot, and after today, no one would be venturing out alone again.

**Author's Note:**

> I had to research cauterization for this


End file.
